Various physical conditions can manifest themselves in the form of damage or degeneration of an intervertebral disc, the result of which is mild to severe chronic back pain. Intervertebral discs serve as “shock” absorbers for the spinal column, absorbing pressure delivered to the spinal column. Additionally, they maintain the proper anatomical separation between two adjacent vertebra. This separation is necessary for allowing both the afferent and efferent nerves to exit and enter, respectively, the spinal column.
Treatment for a diseased or damaged disc can involve partial or complete removal of the affected disc and implantation of a spinal disc replacement for fusion or non-fusion purposes. A discectomy to remove a spinal disc can involve multiple passes into an out of the disc space between vertebrae, and each one of these passes to remove the disc tissue can increase the risk of nerve injury and contamination of the disc space. In addition, each pass becomes time consuming for the surgeon as there must be a focus with each pass on proper entry into the disc space, removing a portion of tissue, and manually clearing the device of the removed tissue to prepare the device for the subsequent pass into the disc space. During these procedures, it can also be advantageous to prepare the vertebral endplates for the implantation of a disc implant, which is routinely achieved using a separate tool.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved methods and devices for preparing an intervertebral disc space.